The saying “great recognizes great” often holds true, as it did in the recent victory of Al-Hilal in the Saudi Championship. Jorge Jesus’ team emerged triumphant against Al-Ettifaq at the Príncipe Faisal bin Fahd Stadium, securing a 2-0 win.
Lineup:
Al Hilal
Bono, Kalidou Koulibaly, Ali Al Bulayhi, Saud Abdulhamid, Yasir Al-Shahrani, Rúben Neves, Mohamed Kanno, Michael, Malcom, Salem Al Dawsari, Aleksandar Mitrovic
Coach: Jorge Jesus
Al-Ettifaq
Paulo Victor, Jack Hendry, Abdullah Al-Khateeb, Sanousi Hawsawi, Hamdan Al-Shamrani, Berat Özdemir, Faisal Al-Ghamdi, Jordan Henderson, Ali Hazazi, Robin Quaison, Vitinho
Coach: Steven Gerard
Match Highlights
Goals
- Al-Hilal got on the scoreboard in the 24th minute through Brazilian talent Malcom. Mitrovic received a strong side-kick in the box and redirected it with a header to set up the former Zenit player. The goal was celebrated as a tribute to Neymar who was injured and yet to make his debut.
🚨🇧🇷🇸🇦| GOOOAAAAAAL MALCOM!
Great Flick from Mitrovic and Malcom gives Al-Hilal the lead vs Steven Gerrard’s Al-Ettifaq.
— All Things Brasil™ 🇧🇷 (@SelecaoTalk) August 28, 2023
- In the same half, Al-Hilal extended their lead at the 41-minute mark. Salem Al-Dawsari, a revered figure among Al-Hilal fans, skillfully received the ball and stylishly fired it into the corner of the net past goalkeeper Paulo Victor, securing the second goal.
- Although Abdullah Al-Hamdan managed to find the net in the closing minutes by capitalizing on a rebound from Mitrovic’s header, the goal was disallowed. A review by VAR identified an offside position by the Serbian striker.
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Injuries
In an unfortunate turn of events, one of the key figures in Al-Ettifaq, Brazilian player Vitinho, sustained an early injury in the match, forcing him to exit the game.
The former Flamengo player experienced discomfort in his thigh, leading to his substitution by Al-Kuwaykibi. This incident left Vitinho needing crutches to move around post the break.
Saudi Championship rankings
This victory takes the Blues’ point tally to ten, maintaining their unbeaten streak in the competition.
Presently in second place, the team is only two points behind the current leader, Al-Ittihad. However, their position is under threat as Al-Ahli, with nine points, is set to play on Tuesday to wrap up the round.
As for Al-Ettifaq, they suffered their first loss in the tournament, holding onto seven points while still contending at the higher ranks of the table.
Looking ahead, both Al-Hilal and Al-Ettifaq will return to the field for the next round of the Saudi Championship over the weekend.
Jorge Jesus’ squad will face Al-Ittihad on Friday in an away game, while Steven Gerrard’s team will take on Dhamk on Saturday in a home fixture.
